as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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Recent Examples of laboring
The infant had been trapped for almost three days; a team of rescuers from Fairfax, Virginia, had been laboring to reach the boy, who was nine months old, for at least six hours.
—
Armando Ledezma,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
In the days since posting the news, Mitchell has continued to update her followers about the aftermath and the start of the healing process, including videos of herself laboring.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Mercurius began laboring in the third and left after Hull's second homer of the CWS and ninth of the season leading off the fifth.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
The woodcut birth figures contained in these books were not images drawn from observation—pregnant cadavers for anatomical drawing were hard to come by—but were instead abstracted diagrams of the chaotic diversity of laboring bodies.
—
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Another laboring woman with the same image on her phone.
—
Karli Swenson,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
With evacuation shelters reaching capacity as more than 40,000 people were asked to leave their homes, officials laboring to prevent an explosion at a crippled chemical tank in Garden Grove reported tentative progress Sunday in ending the crisis.
—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Makar has played in every game this postseason, but was clearly laboring in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild.
—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Imagine a place of employment where everyone in the building is laboring to live out their childhood dream.
—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
Armando Ledezma,
New Yorker,
30 June 2026
In the days since posting the news, Mitchell has continued to update her followers about the aftermath and the start of the healing process, including videos of herself laboring.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
23 June 2026
Mercurius began laboring in the third and left after Hull's second homer of the CWS and ninth of the season leading off the fifth.
—
ABC News,
21 June 2026
The woodcut birth figures contained in these books were not images drawn from observation—pregnant cadavers for anatomical drawing were hard to come by—but were instead abstracted diagrams of the chaotic diversity of laboring bodies.
—
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
Another laboring woman with the same image on her phone.
—
Karli Swenson,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
With evacuation shelters reaching capacity as more than 40,000 people were asked to leave their homes, officials laboring to prevent an explosion at a crippled chemical tank in Garden Grove reported tentative progress Sunday in ending the crisis.
—
Deborah Netburn,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Makar has played in every game this postseason, but was clearly laboring in Game 5 against the Minnesota Wild.
—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
Imagine a place of employment where everyone in the building is laboring to live out their childhood dream.
—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laboring
Verb
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Trump taking the country to war with Iran, in part at the urging of his pal Bibi — without any sensible plan, debate, sanction from Congress or consideration as to how this might hurt Americans already struggling to make ends meet.
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The rules were altered in 2004 at the urging of Algeria, which was struggling to field a competitive national team with wholly domestic players and saw dozens of better prospects from the diaspora living in France.
Verb
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For some, chalance has become bigger than just dating, with people striving to bring more enthusiasm and feeling into all areas of their lives, too.
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Move from striving to stillness.
Verb
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The government is also working with private developers, banks and the real estate sector to accelerate temporary and permanent housing solutions.
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In soccer, the line between a yellow and a red card can be subjective, depending on the referee working the game that day and his or her interpretation of the play.
Verb
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The White House is endeavoring to smash the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever pyrotechnic display by shooting off 50 times more fireworks than last year.
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By unionizing, the group is additionally endeavoring to ensure greater job protections, more transparency about pay and promotion standards, and have more of a say in the corporate environment.
Verb
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These days, many would-be retirees are punching clocks in warehouses, toiling as home health aides, or serving customers in retail stores.
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The 60-year-old owner of All-Pro Lawnmower Sales, Service & Recycling at 555 Santa Fe Drive in Denver spends his days toiling on small engines.
Cite this Entry
“Laboring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laboring. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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